For the 2nd time this year, the Guinness World Record for a continuous line of MINIs has been broken. This time, it was Sunday, June 10 at Virginia Beach. Here’s the official press release:
>We did it! A Guinness World Record has been set! 273 MINIs and Mini’s representing MINI Clubs from as far away as Connecticut and Indiana formed and drove in an uninterrupted chain more than 5 miles long!
>The previous record was established in 2006 by the British of 269 MINIs and Mini’s over a distance of 2 miles.
>Paperwork will be sent off late this week to Guinness World Record Headquarters on Drummond Street in London for verification.
>The run started forming at 1:00 PM and all MINI/Minis rolling at 3:08 PM and ending at 3:48 having traveled 5.8 miles.
>The 273 MINIs were lead by Rudy Boesch, finalist from Survivor Season One. The results were verified by independent witnesses Virginia Beach City Councilman Bob Dyer, and Officer Randall Verdin of the Virginia Beach Police Department.
>The Event was sponsored by Checkered Flag BMW/MINI, MINIUSA, C.P.Shuckers Restaurant on Shore Drive, Ashley and Associates Insurance Agency, Whalen Shift Machine Custom Knobs, Conklins Irish Rover and MC2 Magazine.
>MINI Clubs attending include Se7en Cities MINI, DC Metro MINIs, HR Club MINI, River City MINIs, PhillyMINI, NEO MINIs, Tarheels MINI, M2C2 and attendees from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, District of Columbia,
Indiana and West Virginia.
Great job gang! Do we hear 274?
Pictures from the event can be found here.
It was a blast! Bringing the record back to the USA and now we intend to keep it here. 🙂
It would have been 274 actually, but one unlucky MINI owner lost her keys at the time we had to roll out… she later found her keys and tried to catch up to the group, but she couldn’t be included since she was out of the main convoy. Also, another 6 MINIs showed up 45 minutes late from the NJ/NY area – I guess they didn’t allow for traffic.
Next year – 300+! Of course, there’s also the possibility of a REALLY big attempt at MINIs on the Dragon… 😀
Great job, everyone.
That’s so funny that Rudy was there, (in my opinion, the best Survivor contestant ever). Go Rudy!
Car #134. 🙂
This was great fun.
Edge, while a run at the record could easly be done at the Dragon – or any other national event – it is my hope that folks refrane from doing that. This event had the help of a nonMINI community to check, verify results, and support of the local PD to block traffic. There is a lot going on at the Dragon already, another event would just add to the burden of the orginizers while at the same time take away something that can easily be done at the local/regional level.
In any case it was a very fun day. It was great to see folks. Watching the cars come in. I was nr 18 and got to see a lot of cars arrive. Waiting, and waiting and waiting. Then around 1245 a bunch showed. Then by 2 there were over 150 or so. Later near when car 269 showed up everyone clapped. Car 270 arrived and the place went bonkers.
When I arrived at the end I walked up to the end of the street to take some pictures of the cars coming by. There was a older man giving the policeman on duty a lot of trash about how it was wrong for a beer company to rent out the PD. I guess he did not get the memo on the event.
Linky here for the <a href="http://www.hamptonroads.tv/index.cfm?locvid=126489" rel="nofollow"> of the event!</a>
Yeah unfortunately we made it from NY and CT. too late. At least we were able to meet evryone and hang out afterward. My buddy even won the Whalen Shift Knob being raffled off. Everyone was very welcoming and we had a really awesome time. Thank you to Simon, Randy, and the Se7en cities MINI Crew for thier hospitality. We will definately be attending again and we will surely have more of the crew from NEMINI.org along for the ride.
I was car #104. Had a great time as well. I’m a Tidewater VA local at the moment, but will be moving (back) to CT this year. I’ll try to whip the NEMINI.org crowd into shape for next year 😀
Car #140, signing in!
What a great time. Simon and Randy know how to put on events. For anyone in the VA Beach area that isn’t already involved with the club, do it! For anyone in the Richmond area not involved with River City MINIs, we need you!!
Awesome! Congratulations. And to have Rudy from Survivor…
I was car #221. What an outstanding event! Everyone was courteous and I believe that fun was had by all. A HUGE thanks goes out to the Virginia Beach Police Department for their help in the event. Randy, Simon, 7 Cities Mini, Hampton Roads Club Mini and everyone else who participated or helped also deserve a huge thanks. The best part is that we raised something like $3000.00 for the Naval Special Warfare Foundation.
The best part for me, other than helping out the NSWF was meeting Rudy and getting to shake his hand. What an outstanding human being!
Terrific event! Great charity! Very impressive right-coasters! A+++
had like 4 discontinued for incontinuity or something.
there will be 325 out west somewhere, 400 in Japan, and 425 in Hong Kong by year’s end.
UK Vs. USA? I like the sound of that and I know we’re up to it.
Car #128. Hoping this will become a big annual event here on the East Coast and we can keep the record in the US.
Car #009 here. That was pretty cool and hope to take over VA Beach in the coming years.